CBI takes over probe into assault on Military Colonel in Patiala over parking dispute

The Punjab-Haryana has granted the investigation into the assault of Military Colonel Pushpinder Singh Bathtub and his son, Rajinder, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The incident, which occurred on March 21, 2025, at Harbhans Dhaba close to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, has now develop into a high-profile case following public outrage and intervention by the Punjab and Haryana Excessive Courtroom.

The CBI registered the case and commenced its probe after receiving orders from the Excessive Courtroom. The company has taken over the investigation from Patiala Police and filed a recent FIR within the matter.

In March, Colonel Bathtub alleged that 12 Punjab Police personnel assaulted him and his son throughout a parking dispute exterior a dhaba in Patiala. In accordance with the Colonel, 4 inspectors and their armed subordinates attacked them with out provocation, seized his ID card and cell phone, and threatened him with a “faux encounter”. All the sequence of occasions, which was caught on CCTV, left Colonel Bathtub with a damaged arm and his son with a head harm.

Following the incident, the Colonel’s household approached Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and met with Union Ministers and the Punjab Police DGP. Nevertheless, the household claims that justice has nonetheless not been served.

The Punjab Police initially did not act promptly. It was solely after eight days, when the incident gained traction on social media and information retailers, that an FIR was lodged. In response to rising public strain, twelve policemen had been suspended. Nevertheless, each the sufferer’s household and the general public demanded a good and neutral investigation into the matter.

The Punjab and Haryana Excessive Courtroom had additionally rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Punjab Police Inspector Ronnie Singh Salh, one of many key accused within the assault case.

Of the 4 police inspectors concerned, Salh was the one one who utilized for bail within the Excessive Courtroom, which was rejected on Friday. The opposite three inspectors – Harjinder Dhillon, Harry Boparai and Shaminder Singh – are additionally implicated in each the assault case and a separate encounter case in Patiala. They’re presently on the run and might be arrested beneath the FIR, having been fugitives for the previous two months.

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